Location

SOIL's Earthaven Experience Week is a residential service-learning program that immerses learners in the life of Earthaven Ecovillage. This ecovillage provides the ideal living laboratory for a whole-life skills curriculum—a place to see regenerative systems in practice, food production in action, and community living on a personal level. Participants join the homes, lives, businesses, and farms of the Taylor Creek Watershed community for a hands-on, skill-building, life-changing experience.

Curriculum

The Earthaven Experience Week curriculum encourages participants to examine sustainability through social, ecological, economic, and eco-spiritual lenses. The learning journey weaves large-group discussions and classes together with intimate hands-on experiences in the village and farms alongside community members. SOIL instructors, together with the community at large, support participants to build important skills, foster awareness for global issues, empower the self, increase connection, and develop the resources required for daily life.

Explore the development of energy alternatives to meet the world’s impending energy crisis

Personal Growth and Empowerment

Learn how to be more connected to yourself, others, and nature

Practice self-care

Step out of your comfort zone

Learning Environment and Schedule

SOIL views education as primarily a social learning activity. The ideal learning environment includes both formal and informal instruction, work and practice, study and absorption. Through immersion in an active, living culture of sustainability solutions, critical thinking, and systems orientation, students receive an integrated, holistic education.

Food

Delicious, omnivorous meals are prepared by talented culinary artists from the Earthaven community. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available. Snacks and beverages (tea, coffee) are provided. Participants are invited to help with meal clean-up. Many hands make light work.

As much food as possible is sourced from Earthaven and its surrounding farms and gardens, with some ingredients sourced from local grocery stores. Our meals are created with seasonal, local, fresh, wildcrafted, humanely-raised, and organic ingredients.

The Group

This program is primarily designed for adults. However, mature young adults under 18 years old are also welcome. Please contact SOIL to discuss the enrollment of passionate individuals under 18.

We welcome families with young children to attend and will do our best to support you and your children, however we are not able to offer childcare. As much of the content involves focused, sit-down presentations, attending with a young child will likely mean being less able to participate fully in the course.

Cost

Tuition for Earthaven Experience Week is $625 before April 1, 2019 and $700 after, which includes food for the entire program, camping, instruction, and all materials. Private indoor lodging is available for an additional $100. Transportation is not included.

How to secure your space

Register: Fill out the registration form. Please give yourself plenty of time to complete the application, because it cannot be saved until submitted.

Payment: Payment can be submitted by check, money order, PayPal, or credit card. If paying online, use the widget below to select your lodging option, then select "Add to Cart." After the page refreshes, select the "Checkout with PayPal" option and continue through the PayPal website.

Earthaven Experience Week

This cost includes food for the entire program, camping, instruction, and all materials. Transportation is not included.

Price: $625.00

Tuition Sliding Scale $625–$700 : Lodging option :

If paying offline, please send a check or money order payable to the following address and note the class for which you are registering in the memo field:

School of Integrated Living
11 Full Circle Trail
Black Mountain, NC 28711

Crowdfunding and Fundraising: Check out our Crowdfunding and Fundraising page for creative ways to engage your community and launch a "Community Supported Education" campaign. This approach can help support your investment in yourself, your community, the planet, and future generations.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel, you may transfer your place in the program to someone of your choosing, who will need to register online. You can also donate your place to someone who would not be able to participate without financial assistance.

A 50% tuition refund is available until May 15, 2019.

On or after May 15, 2019, there will be NO refunds.

If SOIL cancels this course for any reason, 100% of your tuition will be refunded.

Check out Earthaven Experience Week

Join the homesteads, farms, and businesses of Earthaven Ecovillage for a hands-on, skill-building immersion in sustainable and climate-resilient community life. The learning journey weaves large-group discussions and classes together with intimate hands-on experiences in the village and farms alongside community members.